Into The Darkness We Go
by Kidd Rock
Summary: Roxas isn't sure what to make of the disembodied voice that follows him around, but he sure as hell knows the Superior won't like this adventure.
1. Side Mission

A/N: Hi there :D I'm James Curtains, Pirate Captain and Evil Space Invader from Mars. This idea sprung itself on me while I was reading too much kingdom hearts fanfiction and the third Potter book again. I'm not giving any hints to the plot, but I'm excited to reveal it in this story. I write small chapters, but that should mean that I update faster, right? Well, we'll see. Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

**Chapter 1**

_Side Mission_

Roxas fell away from the crowd of by standers. The grizzly sight was too much bear. Walking away towards a bench, the blond Nobody collapsed onto the wooden surface and groaned lightly. Twilight Town had become over run with Heartless lately. And without Xion around to help, the work load was just piling up. At the rate he was going, the double missions Saix had assigned for him would never get finished.

"Need a helping hand?" A soft voice called.

Roxas spun around searching for the person who had spoken.

"It's too early to be able to see me yet, Roxas." The voice said gently. "But it's great that you can hear me! It means we're getting stronger."

"Who are you?" Roxas asked, unsure which way to look as he spoke to the invisible presence. "Who's we?"

Faint laughter filled the air. "I'm Ventus, but everyone calls me Ven. We are we. And I think I can help you with the Heartless problems."

x.x.x.x.

Trees. Hundreds and hundreds of trees. Roxas wanted to chop them all down after losing himself in their labyrinth. Ven had told him that this place would help him, but after an hour of wandering around hopelessly, the blond was starting to lose faith. Where was the so called puzzle piece Ven had told him about?

"_There's a world out there that has something we need. It'll help us get stronger, and help you fight off the Heartless. It's called a Wayfinder."_

"_A Wayfinder? What does it do?"_

"_Aqua says it was to keep us all together, even when we were apart."_

"_Who's Aqua?"_

"_She's our friend. But I'm not sure where she is right now, just like I'm not sure where I am and I think it's because I lost my Wayfinder."_

"_So if we can find this Wayfinder thing, you can find your friend? What's that got to do with me?"_

"_Everything! You're the only one who can get it, Roxas. And if you succeed, you'll become stronger too!"_

"_I still don't get it. How can I get stronger? How can 'we be we'? Are you…are you my other?"_

"_What's an other? Listen, I don't have much time left right now. Promise you'll look for the Wayfinder! We can talk more once you've found it."_

'Ven' had left him with a strong mental image of a castle, almost bigger than the Castle That Never Was. Roxas had only been able to guess that that was the world Ven had mentioned. It was an odd sensation, receiving such a thing from a disembodied voice. Was it even possible? Roxas would have to ask Axel about it once he got back. Which reminded him.

"I never RTC'd." Roxas muttered numbly. "And I never told Axel and Xion where I was going." He included Xion's name out of respect. She was his best friend, even in a coma, and she had the right to know where he was even if she couldn't really hear him.

The whole situation was starting to seem like a bad idea. It probably hadn't been the smartest decision to just portal off to the other world without telling anyone first. Ven's words and urgency had swept him up in a haze of confusion laced with duty, though to whom he had no idea.

"I bet all that talk about helping each other was just a trick to get me to come here and now that I'm here, he's gonna turn out to be some weird Heartless that'll I die fighting and I'll never get to eat ice cream with Axel or Xion." The blond rambled, kicking a few rocks across the ground. "And I bet there's not even a castle. That thing was huge, I definitely should have seen it by-"

The words died in his throat, for just as the blond crested over a hill the building he had been searching for appeared into view. It was larger than he had thought. There were towers and connecting bridges, hundreds upon hundreds of windows glowing bright with light. It seemed older than Beast's Castle, but far cleaner and less run down.

"I wonder if the Somebodies there will know where the Wayfinder is." Roxas wondered aloud. He sure hoped so. How was he supposed to find an object that he'd never even seen?

Just then a voice boomed from somewhere in the distance.

"Firs' years this way! Firs' years!"

In the darkness, Roxas was able to spot a small glowing light bobbing some distance away from his place in the forest. It was difficult to see whoever was behind it, but the deep, gruff voice made apparent the gender. The blond had no clue what a 'firs' year' was, but he assumed that the Somebody was leading the lot of them towards the castle. From what Roxas had gathered, Somebodies didn't like to stay out after dark. Axel explained that it was because of fear of the unknown, a concept that flew right over the blonde's head. If it bothered them so much to not know, then why didn't they stay and figure it out? Somebodies were weird creatures.

Roxas, after having stealthily made his way closer, found out that the bobbing light was actually a large lantern and that the male Somebody he had heard was a giant. Literally. The small Nobody fell back farther into darkness, dropping into a defensive position. Huge creatures like that mostly tended to be evil.

"Come on! O'er here, the lot o' yeh. Castle's this way!"

"Agh! What's that?"

Roxas stumbled backwards, suddenly wishing he were still lost in the trees. A tiny female Somebody must have spotted him. He cursed silently for moving in so close. Saix was going to turn him into a dusk when he found out about all of this.

"Wha' is it? Ge' back, lemme through!" The giant boomed.

Roxas ducked down low, blending back into the shadows, and prepared for a fight. Gloved fingers itched for the cool metal of his Keyblade but he wouldn't summon his weapon just yet. He'd wait it out, hope the giant would back off and leave well enough alone.

Seconds ticked by like years. The Somebodies who had been following the giant were huddled together, some craning their necks in order to get a better look while the rest whispered heatedly to one another. After a few breathless moments of just staring into the darkness, the giant backed up, seemingly satisfied at having not seen anything.

"Musta bin a trick o' the light." He said dismissively, but a few of the little Somebodies gave each other troubled glances.

"But it's pitch dark!" One girl, the one who had originally seen him, whined.

The giant didn't seem to hear her, or at least pretended not to. Instead, he picked back up his former role of shepherd and began ushering the young Somebodies to the castle.

"This way! Follow the lantern!"

Roxas didn't follow. He'd had enough of this world and was in enough trouble as it was.

"Ven can find some other idiot no brain to get him his finder. I'm out of here." Roxas said. Dark tendrils sprouted up, wrapping themselves around the blonde boy's boots and arching up and over his head to form the dark corridor. Without a backwards glance he stepped into the darkness, with the hope that the Superior would never ever find this world and force him to return.

x.x.x

A/N: Hope that wasn't terrible. Hagrid speak is difficult ._.


	2. The Safer Route

A/N: James Curtains here :D I've been working on this chapter all week and it's finished! Well it will be finished, I should say, since I'm writing out the Author's note before I end this chapter xD I realize I have a pretty bad habit of doing this, just so I have a reason to procrastinate ._. My bad. Other excuses include a new job starting a home day care and job hunting :D Woo for being poor. Well anyways, here's the second chapter. More Roxas POV, enjoy his pointless existence :p (jk he's prolly my favorite character, tied only with Ventus.)

In a quick reply to my two reviewers!

Kurai Shadow: This won't be AkuRoku, not really at least. I have a hard time believing that without hearts, those two could have feelings like that for each other. Well Axel maybe, since he could remember what those feelings would be like, but Roxas, no way. Poor kid had a hard enough time understanding laughter and friendship, the concept of love would give him an aneurysm XD Thank you for the review, it was seriously appreciated. I also agree, there is a serious lack of Roxas in the HP verse stories. =/

bug349: Thanks, here's the more you were hoping for (=

Thank you everyone who favorited this fic and added it to their alerts list. It makes my day when I see those alerts in my inbox. Thank you, all of you (:

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. Also, I'm hearing rumors that Tetsuya Nomura is MIA? Dear Kami, I hope it's not true ;^;

x.x.x

**Chapter 2**

_The Safer Route_

Two months of extra missions, not counting the ones he was already covering for Xion plus his own. That was the punishment that Superior (or Saix more likely) had decided upon for his failure and disobedience.

"I'd say I feel bad for ya, but we both know that'd be a lie." Axel laughed. He was sprawled out on top of Roxas's bed, seemingly content with ruffling up the pillows and sheets with his lanky body. "Still, that's rough. Why'd you stay out so late anyway? Thought you might've gotten eaten by a heartless."

"You wish." Roxas said. He wasn't paying attention to Axel, too focused on figuring out how to juggle his new schedule. "There's no way the Superior can expect me to do all this alone." He mumbled.

Axel rolled his eyes at his obviously beleaguered comrade. Reaching a long arm out, he grabbed the blond by the middle and pulled him close, forcing him to lay on the bed next to him. Roxas sighed, feeling the tension melt away. Nothing was ever as nice as having Axels arms wrapped around him and, unconsciously, he buried himself deeper into the larger Nobody. His face nuzzled into the red heads chest, which was much firmer than it looked, and bit back a yawn. He was tired, there was no mistaking that.

"Enjoying yourself blondie?" Axel smirked. Roxas didn't say anything, but gave Axels stomach a little nudge at the nickname. The redhead chuckled lightly before resting his chin on top of the golden locks.

"Seriously though. Where were you?" There was no more light humor in his voice; Roxas felt his muscles tense at the subject. His disappearance had worried him, worried him more than was normal for a Nobody. Axel had been different lately, more tense and alert than Roxas had ever seen him. His gaze always lingered after him in a room, as if he might disappear at any moment. Neither of them ever brought it up but Roxas knew if he were ever to leave, Axel would be the one to go after him. He would inevitably be the one to chase him down and ask him not to go. There were certain words always left unsaid between them, but it was rare that they ever let it bother them.

Should he tell him, his friend, his closest friend, of the strange voice and even stranger world he had visited? It was all confusing him, so much so that he was starting to think he was going crazy.

"Rox? You're doing it again." Blue eyes blinked owlishly and Roxas released his grip on the older Nobody's shirt.

"Sorry." He mumbled. Axel ruffled his hair and sat up, stretching his arms back as he surveyed the room.

"Your nervous habits are pretty cute, so don't worry about." The redhead winked, sending a blush creeping up Roxas's cheeks. That happened often, but no emotion ever came with it, as it was supposed to. It was really…hollow, but Roxas didn't mind. Another mystery he would probably never solve without the help of a heart.

"Axel…" He started, and then stopped. A sudden idea popped into his head. "Can you help me find out who my Somebody was?"

Axel's reaction wasn't anything Roxas had thought it would be. His eyes narrowed, lips tightened in the way that meant he was hiding something, or choosing his words carefully. His whole face closed off and Roxas knew he wouldn't find anything out from him.

"Roxas-" He started but the blond stepped off the bed.

"Why won't you tell me the truth?" He asked. Axel sat there watching him, not motioning to say anything. _Observing. _"Why do you always hide things from me?"

The redhead didn't move a muscle. Roxas shook his head. "I don't understand. What is friendship if we don't tell each other things."

Sighing as he did, Axel stood from the bed and walked the few steps to where Roxas stood across the room, the leather of his cloak swishing with each step, boots making a soft sound when touching tile. He stood directly in his pathway, in that iconic hip jutting out, arms folded over the chest sort of way. He was incredibly tall, what seemed like more than a foot of difference between their heights and strangers to the pair would probably think them siblings more than coworkers.

"Rox, you've gotta understand. There are some things better off not knowing and I know you. Don't waste your time. We Nobodies can never hope to be Somebodies."Blue eyes connected with jade, neither willing to break contact first, their eyes silently pleading for the other to understand. Roxas wanted nothing more than to remember his past and he knew for a fact that Axel had the power to help him. But if just asking about his Somebody created more secrets, more rifts, between them, was it worth it to even bring up the subject of Ven after all? This topic was bringing up more problems than just a trip to a new world.

"So I should just forget about it?" Roxas said, clenching his fists. Indignation flared in his eyes. "You're the one who needs to understand, Axel. Everyone in the organization remembers who they used to be. I'm the only one with a blank mind!" He shouted. "You don't know what it's like to have the world be so new for you, even though you know that this isn't your first time experiencing it. The first day we ever met, you called me a zombie. It was my first week of being alive, more specifically my first week of remembering it!

"Everyone here has a reason for wanting a heart. I don't. How can I want something when I've never experienced it?" He paused to take a breath, closing his eyes briefly before looking back up at the man in front of him. His eyes begged for genuine understanding. "Why can't I know?"

The redhead seemed so sad, so contemplative, that Roxas believed he might confess to all of their secrets and finally give in. But as it turned out, it was just going to be more cover ups and excuses.

His lips hadn't finished moving as the door slammed. Roxas didn't want to hear anymore. The words would be ringing in his head for days.

"_Because the lie is safer then the truth sometimes."_

x.x.x

"D'you think that _thing_ is still out there?"

For the thirteenth time that night, Angela Moira voiced her fear out loud to the common room. Several students rolled their eyes while most others had decided to ignore her by now. The young Gryffindor hadn't been able to forget about the frightening creature that she had glimpsed on the night of the Sorting. There was something preternatural about its eyes, so chillingly, emotionlessly blue. She had never seen anything like it before. Her fellow housemates, however, seemed to think it had all been in her imagination. Someone had even reported her to Professor McGonagall earlier in the day, though the stern woman hadn't done much besides sending her to the Hospital Wing to get her head checked. She couldn't understand why the others weren't taking it as seriously as she was.

"Will you give it a rest already?" Huffed a boy in the arm chair across from her. He had smudges on his fingers from the essay he was writing and it was obvious that his patience had worn out. "Some of us are trying to finish up their Potion's assignments. Though Snape really is a mardy bastard for making us do this." He grumbled darkly.

Angela slumped in her seat. "I'm just a little worried about what's out there…" She pouted. _Somebodies got to be alert to these things, _she thought dismally.

"Are you sure you're a Gryffindor?" Another boy teased and was met with snickers from some of the other students. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

"I hope that monster gets you during flying practice tomorrow." She snipped, storming off to the girls' dormitories, leaving the few first years in the common room laughing after her.

"They'll get theirs when I prove to them that creature's real!" She fumed, not bothering to change before burying herself in her bed for the night. She'd show them all.

x.x.x

A/N: That's all :D I think it's a little bit longer then the last chapter…I just compared the length of the two. It's won by sixteen words! I've already started up on chapter three, so expect it for next week :D Thanks all! Hope it was all right!


	3. Something In The Water

**A/N:** James Curtains logging in for the Captain's Report. Things have been hectic lately. I've just made the biggest move of my life over the past couple of weeks by accepting an internship down in Florida! That was 18 hours of straight driving and I have to say, Georgia is one entertaining place to drive through. I stopped in one of their convenience stores while my driving buddy filled the tank and I saw a fried chicken counter, cases of alcohol, wooden beat sticks, and fireworks all in the same aisle. Greatest. State. Ever.

As I'm sure you've noticed, this chapter is rather _lacking_ in word count. This can be attributed to several factors, two of those being the internet connection and little time for much else besides packing, traveling, unpacking and getting to know Orlando. I can't promise when the next chapter will be out because after tonight (or today depending on when I post this) my schedule will become rather erratic. I ask for you not to get too excited over updates. I'd really rather not disappoint any of you by promising quick chapters, but I will try my best. Jeez, I'm making this sound like I have some big following of people hanging onto my every word XD My egotism likes to rear it's beautiful head every now and again ;)

If you'll all excuse my absence, I'll happily continue on with the story : ) To everybody who reviewed, favorited, and added me or my story to an alerts list, I must thank you : ) You're all wonderful people and those notifications make my days. Thank you~

**Disclaimer:** Okay, this is the last time I'm putting this whole thing up. I still don't own Kingdom Hearts (even though I wish I did) or Harry Potter ( the last movie comes out on my birthday :D) and all rights and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Have a fabulous day.

**Chapter 3**

_ Something In The Water_

Roxas couldn't see two feet in front of him without tripping and hitting his head against a tree. The forest was just as difficult to navigate through the second time around as it was on his first visit to the new world, which he had dubbed World of Spite. Strange creatures lurked deeper in, ones that poked and prodded and threatened him with weapons he wasn't familiar with. The Heartless seemed to have left this world alone. Roxas didn't blame them. This whole world is more to handle than it's worth, he thought to himself. Now, which way is out?

Stopping to grasp at a twig that had stuck to his leather cloak, he felt something cold stick into the back of his leg.

"Ah!" He yelped and stumbled forward onto the hard dirt. A figure nearby whined. Hardly wanting to look up, Roxas watched the cold nose of a giant dog digging beneath the hem of his cloak, sniffing as thoroughly as it possibly could.

"A dog? What's that doing out here?" He wondered. Propping himself up on his elbows, he peered through the thickness of the woods for any sign of an owner. It seemed there was no one around for the time being. Looking back at the dog, Roxas wondered if maybe it had wandered into the forest from the castle. An idea suddenly struck him.

"Do you know where we are?" He asked. The dog looked up at him balefully. For a minute he didn't move or seem to understand what had been asked, but finally the great, lumbering animal climbed off Roxas and headed deep through the trees.

"Hey! Hold up!" Roxas called, scrabbling to get up and chasing after the dog, who by now had made quite some headway through the wood.

x.x.x.x

The windows of the hut were all brightly lit. If Roxas stood up on the front of his toes, he could see the remains of fire smoldering in a hearth, near which a group of what looked like the robed students sat happily around a wooden table. Shadows passed over the window as they moved about, talking amiably with one another as the largest man Roxas had ever seen passed around a kettle.

Roxas gasped. "The giant!" He whispered. The dog at his side let out a howl loud enough to wake the whole world, he was sure. "I've gotta get out of here." Roxas muttered, hands clasped tightly over his ears. The people inside the hut had stopped talking and the tallest of the students, a lanky redhead, pulled out a stick to point at the door. The other two followed suit while pulling a strange looking cloak over their heads. Roxas had to blink a few times to realize that they were no longer huddled around the table. The giant was moving toward the door where the dog was already waiting and wagging its tail in lethargic delight. It barked in Roxas's direction when the door swung open and immediately the crossbow was aimed toward him. Roxas jumped back.

"Who's there?" The giant boomed. The hairs on the back of his neck were prickling and his whole body was standing on edge. The warrior instinct that buried itself deep inside of him pulsed through his veins as he gripped the Keyblade tightly in his hand. His limbs quivered with anticipation. Roxas had been itching to hit something since the argument with Axel. As it turned out, that chance never came. A blast of red light hit him in the back and Roxas instantly fell forward, knocked out cold. The Keyblade vanished in a trail of bubbly light.

Hermione removed the invisibility cloak from herself and walked to the unconscious body that lay on the ground. She crouched down beside it, inspecting from all angles, her eyebrows furrowed and mouth set in a thin line.

"What d'you reckon, Hermione?" Ron asked coming up behind her.

"He seems like a student, maybe a fourth year. I'm not entirely sure though." She said, pulling back the hood of the leather cloak. Blond spikes poked out in every which direction. "I thought he might have been a Death Eater or Snape."

Harry, who was now visible like the rest of them, raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You would've stunned Snape?" He asked.

Hermione's cheeks colored. "Well of course not, but I was just being careful!" She said indignantly as Ron grinned with pride.

"That would've been great. Imagine it; Hermione stunning a professor. It would've made headlines in the _Prophet_." He laughed, ducking as Hermione pointed her wand at him.

"Honestly." She huffed, standing up and brushing the dirt off of her robes. "This isn't a time for jokes. We should tell Dumbledore in case there are others around here as well."

Hagrid stepped forward, lowering his crossbow even as Fang nuzzled into the passed out figures leg. "Don' worry bout that. I'll take him up ter Dumbledore meself. You three just worry bout' gettin' back in ter the castle without Filch cathchin' yeh." He winked. Harry, Ron, and Hermione smiled gratefully, slipping back underneath the cloak and disappearing from view.

By the time they reached Gryffindor Tower, the trio had shed the cloak and was pacing back and forth in the common room pensively. Hermione's brain seemed to working in full gear as she spoke out loud to the room.

"I just don't see how a Death Eater could have gotten past the protective charms and wards Dumbledore's placed around the castle." She repeated for the hundredth time.

"Maybe it's got something to do with Umbridge?" Ron suggested hopefully. Harry nodded his head in agreement. Perhaps they could find evidence against the crazed woman to have her removed from Hogwarts and out of their hair.

"I don't think Umbridge would allow a Death Eater onto school grounds, Ron." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Even if she did want to stir up trouble, I highly doubt she'd risk that type of scandal. If she were to be found out, not only would it counter act everything the Ministry's been spewing about Harry and Dumbledore, but she'd be sent to Azkaban along with Fudge for allowing it to happen."

Ron opened his mouth to say something just as tiny footsteps neared the seating area by the fireplace. All at once the trio stopped speaking, turning their heads to see a small first year hovering near by, face serious.

"What did it look like?" She asked. Hermione was taken aback, not knowing what to say. Harry spoke up first.

"What did what look like?" He asked. The girl turned her piercing gaze on him and he felt his insides twist in the nervous way Snape used to bring about.

"The creature you found by the giant's hut. What did it look like?" She repeated.

Harry gave a quick glance towards Ron and Hermione, both of whom seemed at a loss for words. "Er, we didn't really get a good look." He said quickly. The girl narrowed her eyes at him. "Listen, we'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone-"

"Drat." The girl muttered. She seemed to lose all interest in the three, ignoring Harry completely, and retreated back towards the girl dormitories. They heard her whispering heatedly, as if in an argument with herself. They caught bits and pieces of what she was saying, but none of it made much sense. 'Need more evidence.' was the last of what they heard before the door the girls' dormitories slammed shut.

The trio all looked at each other. Ron cleared his throat. "Bloody hell. They keep getting weirder and weirder with each new year."

"Must be something in the water." Harry agreed before turning the discussion back onto the previous subject.

x.x.x.x

**A/N:** Well, that wasn't too bad I hope. There might be some confusion in this chapter, like why Roxas came back to Hogwarts but the next chapter will clear things up. Also, I'm hoping to start introducing the plot with the next chapter. There will be more Wizarding appearances starting next chapter and appearances made by the Organization, along with a few faces sure to make Roxas's head spin. Hope you all enjoyed~ see you around~

-James Curtains.


	4. Emotional Suspicions

**A/N:** I'm...exhausted. I can barely stay awake these days, so forgive any mistakes that have slipped past my shields in this story. Thank you all for the reviews, I appreciate them a lot, as I'm sure any author on this site can say as well. Pottermore looks promising, I absolutely can't wait until the 31st. It took me nearly an hour after the site went up for my email to successfully go through. It crashed on my every other time. I actually took screen captures just to prove to some people online that you actually could submit the email and it wasn't some cruel joke, ahah. The calendar on my freewebs site actually has me sticking to my deadline dates. Awesome. It's not the ten thousand word original I had typed out, but that's due to all of the scenes I felt were prematurely popping up. I hope things cleared themselves up, somewhat...highly doubtful because I'm just that type of person. I never answer anything right away, never plan anything out. So this story is kind of a roller coaster ride of unplanned mayhem :D I mean, I know the plot and all the big stuff, but the little things and chapters will work themselves out. Yeah,I just suck ^.^; Anyways, enjoy the chapter folks~

-James

**A/N Part 2!:** I realized something as I was typing. I mention in here that Marluxia had already gone off to Castle Oblivion, but you'll notice that Zexion appears in this chapter. It shall be explained, just later, not now. I've changed very little from the canon time line of Kingdom Hearts, but I had to tweak a couple things to make it fit in with this story. Ugh, I hate doing things like that. I hate it even more that there's so much I just want to spill about this fic Dx Let me know if the characters are OOC? I'll appreciate it ever so much.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Someone just messaged me about this, and I completely forget that there are others who don't spazz like I do over the games and read tons ahead about prelease and content leaks. In this story, there will be many spoilers for upcoming games, and present ones. In this chapter there are references to BBS, the PSP release of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Just FYI, if you're confused message me or look it up on youtube and google. I'll try and put up alerts at the beginnings of chapters if their big spoilers. Okay, all done. Hopefully..

**Disclaimer:** Refer to first chapter.

**Chapter Four**

_Emotional Suspicions_

Roxas had been unconscious in the Hospital Wing for exactly one week. He wouldn't have known without the chart placed on the table nearest his bed. There were no seashells by his pillow when he awoke nor any Axel to make comments about being too short to handle grown-up missions. There was no Saix gazing disdainfully with a whole stack of missed missions to be completed or even a Xigbar to startle him, just for good measure. It was strangely empty to wake up and be so completely alone. Empty in a way he hadn't experienced before.

_Where am I? _

Looking around, Roxas felt a wave of dizziness overcome him as he tried sitting up, opting to fall back onto the bed with a soft _thump_. Wherever he might have been now certainly wasn't the same as where he had been only moments ago. He'd just been on a beach somewhere talking to...Who _had_ he been talking to? It had been a girl, he was sure, one he'd known for a long time. The more he tried to remember, the farther and farther away the memory fell. Fuzzy images lingered on the edge of his memory. They were all of people he was sure he knew, which was weird since he didn't remember ever seeing any of them before. Quick as a flash, he was pulled back from the bed, or more like pulled through. All he was sure of was that he was falling through blackness without any way to stop himself.

Here he was all over again, just like before he had woken up. Standing on the edge of a beach with the sun beating down upon him in a bright, cloudless sky. The waves rose from far out at sea, traveling closer and closer toward the shoreline until they broke against the sand. Roxas was now high above it all on a tiny circle of land that was connected by a bridge to the rest of the island. He wasn't sure how he knew it was an island he was on, but he didn't question it.

Footsteps hurried towards him and as he turned around, a tremendous grin broke out on his face.

"It's you!" He shouted happily.

"It's me." Grinned a boy about his height with spiky brown hair. He made his way over to Roxas, clasping his hands behind his head, elbows in the air, smiling brightly. "I didn't think I'd see you again." The boy said, letting the smile disappear for a moment. "I thought you were gone for good."

Roxas frowned. "Why?"

The boy thought for a moment. There was a concentrated look on his face, one that Roxas knew from experience was rarely used. "Well, the last time I saw you, you were in pretty bad shape. I didn't know if you'd wake back up."

"What-" Roxas started, but was interrupted.

"Ven, what are you doing here?" It was a tall, blue haired girl that came towards them. Roxas' attention was drawn to the Keyblade clutched firmly in her hand.

"Your Keyblade..." He mumbled while furrowing his eyebrows.

"My Keyblade?" The girl repeated, glancing down at the gleaming weapon. "Ven?"

Again with that name. It was familiar, he could have sworn he'd heard it somewhere before.. Roxas groaned and let his head fall into his hands. Why was everything so fuzzy? He was remembering things perfectly fine before he woke up-

"Wait, wasn't I just in a bed?" He asked, snapping his head back up to look at the other two. The boy looked confused and dropped his head to the side. The girl, whose name was on the tip of his tongue, looked at him worriedly.

"I was asleep in a bed somewhere." He tried to explain. "I was dreaming...of this beach. Or maybe, the bed was just a dream and this place is real?" His mind was whirling, making him feel like he was trapped inside of a maze that had no real exit, only doors that kept leading him deeper in.

"Oh Ven," The girl said sadly. Roxas saw something like deep regret in her eyes and he had to look away. There was a pain throbbing in his chest, something he'd never felt before. It hurt and ached and made him want to cry and escape from the island and these people on it. The boy wasn't smiling at all anymore, he just looked sad, like he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words.

"Ven, let's go home." The girl said soothingly, coming towards him. There was a wonderful maternal feeling about her that made Roxas want to go to her immediately, just to make all the pain he was feeling disappear.

The moment he tried to move, though, something happened. The creeping blackness came over him again, slower than last time, but with a heaviness that gave the impression of being slowly crushed beneath a pile of bricks. The girl's form was fading in and out of his vision, and no matter how hard he strained his ears, her words came out muted. She was reaching out to him and Roxas struggled desperately to grab a hold of her hand. He was so close, their finger tips were almost touching. He didn't want to lose her again, not after just finding each other after all that time. He needed her, just like he needed Terra and the Master.

And then he remembered. Aqua! Her name was Aqua! He shouted her name as loud as his vocal cords would allow and thrashed violently against the darkness, now almost completely blinding him. Aqua, how could he have forgotten her name? He shouted it again, striving for his voice to be heard . Apparently even though Roxas couldn't hear her, she could hear him. At the sound of her name she smiled. It was like the grief and despair she had been expressing just moments before had never existed. The hand dropped away, even as Roxas continued to reach for it.

"Aqua!" He cried, his desperation mingling with the fear of abandonment as the darkness completely engulfed him. He could barely breathe from all of the pressure. He couldn't leave, he needed her so badly. He didn't want to go alone anymore. He just wanted to be by their sides again just like it used to be. Tears fell from his eyes as he let himself be dragged farther back and farther away from his friend. The darkness was strangling him. There was no more energy for him to fight. With a last thought of Aqua and Terra, he closed his eyes and waited for the darkness ebb.

x.x.x.x

When Roxas awoke next, he was back in the hospital bed, this time surrounded by strangers who all looked as if they had just witnessed something strange. His face was wet, though he wasn't sure why. Quickly rubbing the water away with the palm of hands, Roxas looked up into the faces of the people surrounding him. There was an odd sensation floating through him, as if this wasn't the place he was supposed to be. Like he had just come from somewhere else...

He felt something wet on his face again, and when he touched the corner of his eyes, he was surprised to find more water.

"_They're called tears."_ Whispered a sniffling voice. Roxas looked around at the people in the room. None of them had spoken.

"_It's me, Ven." _The voice said. _"I'm crying too, so it's not so bad. I didn't think we'd see Aqua there."_

There was such a sadness in the voice, Roxas felt his chest clench. A hand sprung to the front of his shirt, startled by the strong pain thrumming just beneath the fabric.

"What-?" Was there something wrong with him? Why was his chest hurting like this? Was it Ven's doing?

"_Ahem_."

Roxas swiveled his gaze to meet the ones of the Somebodies around him. His eyes widened at one woman in particular standing near the foot of the bed and decked out, head to toe, in the most vivid pink Roxas had ever seen. He was sure that if Marluxia had met this woman before going to Castle Oblivion he would have abandoned his mission just to compare his hair color against her wardrobe.

"Now that you are awake, shall we have some introductions?" The woman's voice was sickly sweet. It reminded Roxas of Demyx when he wanted Zexion to give him attention or get out of missions.

Silence reigned through out the room while the Somebodies waited for him to speak. Roxas' lips were shut tight. He didn't want to be the first to speak. There was no way he would let himself get accused of giving out information at the risk of being turned into a Dusk.

An old man stepped forward. If Roxas thought that the woman in pink was startling to look at, this man took the munny. Twinkling blue eyes assessed him from behind half moon spectacles. A beard that was probably longer than Roxas's whole body reached almost to the floor, though not a hair looked out of place despite how hard it must have been to keep. There was a gentle, yet wise demeanor about him. Roxas thought he might like this man if he were able to feel anything.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He said warmly. "I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Is there anything we might call you by?"

Roxas nodded his head slowly, still unsure whether or not to speak, but figuring things couldn't get too much worse, he told them his name.

"Roxas." It came out in a hoarse whisper. For the life of him, he couldn't think of a reason as to why, but it almost felt as if he had been shouting himself silly. If he had, he hoped it hadn't been anything important to the Organization. While the old man seemed alright, Roxas didn't want the pink woman knowing anything about their plans or goals.

"_And Ventus!"_

Roxas had almost forgotten about the voice. Looking up above his head he called out, "Where are you?"

"_Not out there, dummy. Stop talking to yourself or they'll think something's wrong with you."_

"I meant to ask where am I." Roxas covered quickly, looking back at his crowd in hopes they hadn't noticed his mess up. If they did, they didn't show it.

"So, uh, yeah." He mumbled, staring down at his bed sheets. "Am I allowed to go?"

"Leave? I think not young man." Chirped up the pink woman. "You see," She began, "you are in violation of a serious crime. Trespassing on school grounds, skulking around the Dark Forest in the dead of the night, followed by an attempt at the game keeper's life-"

"I wasn't trespassing." Roxas interjected, sitting up a little further on the bed. "I was looking-"

"It is very rude to interrupt another person while they are speaking, Mr. Roxas." The woman chided, still in that sickly sweet tone of voice. "Someone in a position such as yourself should really be more-"

"My name isn't Mister, it's just Roxas. And you just interrupted me." He told her matter-of-factually.

"_Uh-oh." _Ven said.

Roxas resisted the urge to look back up at the air again. The smile the woman wore faltered, toad like eyes narrowing on him.

"Dolores, why don't we let the boy explain himself. I'm rather curious to hear his version of events." The old man gave Roxas a wink, which made the blond think that he might have known more than he was letting on.

The woman, Dolores as she was called, disagreed with the older man. "I'm afraid that I must insist, Albus, that that is a very dangerous idea. Ministry regulation states law-breakers shall be arrested and then brought in for questioning."

"Ah, but _Dolores_. I must insist that this is not the Ministry and that we run things a little differently here. The boy is free to speak." The old man lost a little of the twinkle in his eyes as he addressed Dolores, but it was picked back up as he looked back at Roxas. "Of course, that is only if you feel up to the task?" He asked kindly.

Roxas nodded his head, not liking the look on the woman's face. Dolores looked like she had a few choice things she wanted to say, all of them most likely rude, but Roxas wasn't going to give her the chance to voice any of them.

"I can't tell you too much," He said, "but I came here...to look for something." It wasn't a complete lie. When he'd been trying to get away from the castle, mostly just Axel, he'd just thought of the first place that popped into his head and portalled off. In all reality it should have been Twilight Town. The clock tower was more familiar to him than anything else. But the image of that castle got stuck in his head at the last second, like someone else put it there. He was already half way through the the dark corridor, so by that time it was too late to change direction again. After interrogating Ven only to find out that the ghostly voice hadn't had anything to do with it, Roxas trudged through the forest, hoping to figure things out along the way. Of course, Ven hadn't had any trouble nudging him along in hopes of getting back his Wayfinder. Would that give away too much to them?

_I'll leave it out for now._ He told himself.

"I got lost and this dog found me. He showed me out of the forest where we found a house with some people inside. I guess it's where the dog lived, because he started making some noise and a giant came out with a crossbow. I don't really remember what happened after that."

"I see." The old man said, sounding as if he was absorbing everything Roxas had told them. The blond wondered if he'd let slip anything by accident.

"Forgive me, Headmaster but what exactly is it that you see?" Inquired a sallow faced man that Roxas hadn't initially noticed. He looked rather put-upon for being forced into conversation, drawling in a doubtful voice, "From what the boy has _chosen_ to tell us, he is still guilty of trespassing, snooping through Hogwarts grounds."

"I agree with Severus." Dolores said, eager to jump back into the conversation. She had resumed her overly sweet demeanor, and flashed a smile at the greasy haired man, who looked like he'd rather swallow one of Vexen's potions than have the woman agree with anything he said. "We still know nothing about him, which he himself has refused to tell us. I believe these are all justifiable means to call for this boy's arrest."

Roxas wasn't sure what to make of his situation, but Ven didn't sound too thrilled.

"_Roxas, I think you should try and leave. That lady, there's darkness in her." _

"Darkness?" He couldn't help but let slip. He drew attention away from the slowly forming argument between the Somebody's back to himself, but the blond's attention was focused solely on Dolores. There was darkness inside her. The thought puzzled him. "I would have sensed it. The keyblade..." He mumbled more to himself than to those around him.

"_It's a different darkness than anything I've ever felt. Something is wrong with her."_

Ven's voice was becoming more on edge. Roxas had to go.

"I have to leave." He announced. Words and action were two completely different things though, and as Roxas took two steps away from the bed, his legs buckled beneath him and he collapsed, body feeling like jelly, onto the stone floor.

"Oh no, _Mr._ Roxas. I believe I already told you you were not to leave." The woman's voice rung in his head like church bells as his vision swam.

"_Roxas!"_

The blond struggled against his numb body, his eyes straining to see what had done this to him. He must've hit his head against a corner of the bedside table, because he could see blood trickling into his vision. _Great,just great._ _Another victory for the world of spite._ He thought to himself as he everything around him went black, Ven's voice still shouting for him to get up.

"You have so much explaining to do, Ven." He whispered drowsily before blacking out.

x.x.x

"In light of the current situation, the mission quota will be doubled for each member until our missing Keyblade wielder has been located." Saix's voice was heard clearly by all in the meeting room. Demyx groaned in his seat and slumped forward. Saix gazed callously in his direction, fixing the younger Nobody with his stare.

"There will be no questioning the Superior's orders." He said, which earned him a smart look from Demyx and Axel both.

"Might as well admit your taking it from him while you're at it." Axel muttered under his breath. In a flash he found himself face to face with the end of a purple spear, courtesy of an unamused Xaldin from across the room.

A manic gleam glinted in Axel's eyes. Flames licked the tips of his fingers, caressing each digit lovingly. "What's the matter Xaldin? You want some action too?" He smirked and summoned the chakrams in a blaze of fire and light.

Demyx grinned in impish and hollow delight and sat forward in his seat. "Someone should be getting some around here at least." He laughed, though his attention focused on Zexion towards the end of his sentence.

Things were just about to escalate further as Zexion summoned the Lexicon when Xemnas's voice stopped them all.

"Enough." Xemnas spoke from high above them all and every head turned towards him. "This is not what I have summoned all of you for. This meeting has been established for the sole purpose of Kingdom Hearts." Xaldin's spear vanished from in front of Axel's face as the members of the Organization listened with rapt attention.

"Our thirteenth member has left us, voluntarily or not, we do not know. Without him, our goal will never be reached."

"Uh, Superior, what about Xion? I thought she had a Keyblade too?" Demyx asked.

Yellows eyes circled around the room once, as if for the first time becoming aware of the puppet's lack of presence, focusing on Saix after a while, expecting clarification.

The blue haired nobody did not sit up any straighter in his seat, continuing to give off the impression of a hunch backed wolf, but answered dutifully. "Complications have arisen in Number XIV. It has not woken in twenty two days."

"Hm." Xemnas sighed, apparently now unconcerned with the state of the other keyblade wielder.

Something seemed wrong with the whole situation. Axel peered into the Superior's eyes, searching for answers to the thousands of questions bubbling inside of himself. Xemnas's eyes took on a hard glint, and Axel forced himself to look away. Whatever he wanted to ask would have to wait.

"The meeting has ended. You are all dismissed."

The occupants of the thrones dissolved within wisps and tendrils of their darkness, vanishing from site. While Xemnas was among these numbers, Axel was not. He waited patiently in his seat, something he'd learned a long time ago was a lot easier to do without a heart. After about a minute, Demyx was the only one left besides himself and together they leaped gracefully to the floor.

"What's eating at you?" The musician asked, falling into pace besides his closest comrade-turned-semi-friend. They took their time walking, neither in a rush to make it back to their rooms.

Axel was quiet for a moment. The Castle That Never Was had been changing during Roxas's absence, the people within its walls going right along with it.

"There's something going on with Xemnas. I can tell." He finally said.

Demyx gave him a sidelong glance, puzzled. "Really? How?"

Axel sighed. "Y'know, I'm not really sure. It's like I'm grasping at straws, but there was something just not _right_ about him in the meeting. He's gotta be hiding something about Xion that we don't know. He wouldn't be giving a rat's ass about Roxas if he thought Xion was collecting hearts."

_Pop!_

"What're you kiddies gossiping about all alone out here?" Xigbar smirked at his two comrades. He was upside down in the air, apparently just floating from the ceiling. Control over space was such a bitch to not have.

"Xiggy!" Demyx yelled. The sandy haired Nobody grasped Xigbar around the neck with his arm and pulled him along as he tried to walk farther down the hall.

Gasping, Xigbar vanished, only to reappear with an arm already draped over Demyx's shoulders. "You're gonna kill me, kiddo." He chuckled, eying up his comrade.

"Only if it's with my music." Demyx quipped.

Xigbar laughed. "You should give lessons on how to get you to insult yourself, save Zexion some time."

Demyx swore under his breath. "Ugh, there's no way that guy'll even give me the time of day to bring it up."

"So is that what you've been whispering about with Fire Crotch over here?"

Axel ignored the comment. "Why are you here?" He asked. He wasn't trusting of Xigbar's motives in the Organization, not most were.

"Well, well, cheerful aren't we today?" The graying man drawled. Seeing the look on Axel's face, he sighed and rolled his eye. "Here I thought maybe I'd join in on your conversation, give some helpful hints on the enigma that is our Boss Man."

Despite himself, Axel raised his eyebrows and the corners of his lips twitched. If Xigbar knew something, it was going to be good. Number II smirked when he saw Axel's reaction.

"What do you know about the Superior?" Demyx asked, curious.

"This and that." Xigbar shrugged, never taking his eyes off of Axel. "Depends on what you two were talking about. Gotta know how much this is worth to you." He winked.

"Spit it out Xigbar." Axel said.

"Oh, now that isn't going to-"

"Ah!"

It was Demyx who had shouted because in a flurry of flames, Axel had Xigbar against the wall, pressing the razor edges of one chakram into the man's throat as he glared furiously.

"You know what this means to me." He ground out.

To Demyx's surprise, Xigbar laughed.

"That's more of the answer I was looking for. Put your little wheels away, and I'll let you in on a few secrets about our beloved Superior."

The weapons vanished and Axel took a few steps back to allow Xigbar some room to breathe. There were visibly red marks on his neck.

"Let's head out. It's not safe to talk here." Axel said. Xigbar nodded. A dark corridor opened up beside the three and Demyx jumped through.

"That kid's way to laid back." Xigbar commented, but Axel noticed the look of interest Xigbar wore as he watched the younger Nobody leave. Zexion might get that peace and quiet he's been bitching for soon, Axel thought with a sly grin.

"Hey, this isn't the world with all the half naked tiger women is it?" Axel asked, grinning.

Xigbar laughed again. "Not this time. We're going to that cozy little hangout you and the blond kid have." The man walked through, disappearing from sight, and shortly after Axel followed.

x.x.x.

The bells of the clock tower signaled the turn of another hour.

"Alright, only eighteen more hours until the weekend!" Hayner cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

Olette sighed and rolled her eyes. "Hayner, if you don't finish your project by tomorrow, you won't have a weekend."

"Oh Olette," Hayner sighed, shaking his head. "You think a health project is going to keep _me_ away from this Saturday?"

At this, Pence looked up from the papers spread out on the floor to give his friends a puzzled look. "What's this Saturday?"

"Not you too!" Hayner groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead. "It's the only thing worth remembering! The Struggle training, remember, Pence? The one we absolutely _have_ to go to so we can beat the smug smirk off Seifer's face this summer."

Olette, seeing that the two boys were going to get distracted, stretched back from her own school work, figuring it a good as time as any for a break. The four o'clock train rumbled over head, bringing with it memories of the summer and trips to the beach. Trips filled with watermelons and pretzels...

"Yo, Olette, your stomach sounds like Rai when he tries to count." Hayner laughed, along with Pence. Olette's cheeks colored and she laughed too.

"Hey, I have a great idea. Why don't we go get some ice cream?" Pence suggested. Hayner readily agreed, happy for any excuse to get away from his homework.

"Sounds good. Let's stop by the Sandlot while we're at it. Maybe we'll catch Seifer down there and see what he's up to." Hayner said with a mischievous grin and trounced out of their hang out. His friends shook their heads and laughed as they left the Usual Spot to find some afternoon excitement, unaware of the dangerous trio who had just entered into their world.

x.x.x

**A/N:** So there it is. The longest chapter o.o Cut in half from what it originally was. And to be honest.. I just used that last bit because of great the Usual Spot Gang are. I think they're my favorite group of kids form any of the worlds. I've always wondered how Leon would react if he went to Twilight Town and met up with Seifer there. One hell of a run in :p Anyways, since this chapter is cut in half, that means the next chapter is half done. So I'm gonna update my calendar on the site and figure out my next update day. Maybe next weekend. We'll see. Anyways, thanks for reading guys. Hopefully my writing is improving, if not, well then damn. Anyways, I'm off for the night. See ya guys, love you all~

J. Curtains


	5. To Touch and To Feel

**A/N**: Okay chapter breakdown. This whole thing has been written in spurts of my free time so it's very broken up by those little "x.x.x." 's I use to break up the story. It was the only way I could find the motivation to write at this point since my interest for this died down while I've been working/living/stressing. But inspiration, or at least guilt at coming so close to leaving this unfinished, spurred me on to write more. After this chapter, I'm going to reply to my reviewers, who I love more than vanilla cupcake cappuccino's from 7-11, which says a lot because I was drinking three to four 24 oz cups each morning and afternoon after school while they had them out. I hope this chapter is everything to your liking. Please enjoy. As an odd site note. I wrote most of this while listening to Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas on repeat o.O Thank you all of you who have taken the time to review and have waited patiently for this chapter. Your enthusiasm for this story is what keeps me going back to it. Whatever questions you may have or spelling/grammar mistakes you find, please let me know in a review. I'm sorry if this chapter is lacking.

Sincerely from your Captain,

-James

Who has indeed heard the wolf cry to the blue corn Moon

**Chapter 5**

_To Touch and To Feel_

Voldemort could feel the power growing within the weapon. It had been over two months, yet its strength grew in such leaps and bounds that it left no doubt to the power held within. With a flick of his wrist, darkness crept forth to creep over the motionless body collapsed on the floor. His victim had been weak.

_'And he had thought himself worthy of joining my number_.' The Dark Lord sneered.

Soft hissing came from the doorway. A thick, great snake slithered into the room, tasting the air with its tongue.

-_I smell food_- It hissed pleasantly, flicking its tongue in the direction of the body.

-_Not for you, my pet_- Voldemort said, crooking a finger to beckon over the serpent.

Nagini hissed in displeasure, but did not disobey her master. She entwined her length around the Dark Lord's chair, nudging her head against his hands.

_-Have you no use for me anymore?-_

Voldemort idly stroked the scales of his faithful serpent. _-You are most important to me, Nagini. I believed you to understand that.-_

The serpent bowed its head. _-I do.-_

_-Then do not question it. If you hunger, I am sure the Malfoys would not object to sacrificing their House Elves for your dinner meal.-_

The two sat in silence for a while as Voldemort observed the darkness swallowing the form of the young man on the floor. So much power. And soon it would be for him to control. The Keyblade gleamed brightly near the fire grate, the light from the flames bouncing off the weapon to give it an eerie, unearthly glow. A dangerous smile formed upon the Dark Lord's lips.

_-When shall it be ready-_ Nagini hissed, following her masters line of sight.

Red eyes watched the shining heart float towards the ceiling as the darkness consumed the last of the body. It vanished into air.

_-Soon, Nagini. Soon.-_

x.x.x

Arthur Weasley was not a very wealthy man, but what he lacked in wealth was made up for with enthusiasm and a deep love for his family. As he locked up his office and headed for the lift, ready to go home to unwind with his wife, he was nearly assaulted by one of the flying memo's zipping around overhead.

_Tonight._

The handwriting was quick and precise and Arthur recognized it as Kingsley Shacklebolt's. Sighing, he turned away from the direction of the lifts and headed towards the Auror Department. It was going to be a long night after all.

x.x.x

"Roxas." Crooned a voice.

The blond mumbled in his sleep and turned over. He wasn't ready to get up.

Sighing, the voice tried again. "C'mon Rox, you have to get up sometime. We've got the day off. I figured we could hit up a beach somewhere."

Axel? Sitting up in a rush, Roxas looked around for the redhead only to find himself back in the same bed he had woken up in before. He furrowed his brows slightly, wondering where Axel's voice had come from and if he had really heard it all.

The Hospital Wing was dark, illuminated only by the dim sconces on the walls that cast creeping shadows upon the rooms' furniture. There was an almost edgy gut clenching sensation in the pit of his stomach that made Roxas take double glances at everything he saw. The room, which looked harmless in the daylight, was a lot like Vexen's smile during the night; unnatural and downright terrifying. Roxas gingerly moved off the bed. He didn't feel like putting himself through a night of mental torture very much. Glancing quickly around for the nurse, he crept silently towards the door, slipping out easily and bolting down the hallway. Moonlight flooded through the windows and a chill breeze made him shiver.

"They took my cloak!" He whispered when he went to rub his arms. Oh gods, the punishment the Superior would give him made him want to get knocked out all over again. He could go back to the Hospital Wing and search for it, but if he were to be caught snooping around he might wind up in more trouble than he was already in.

"I wish Axel were here." He mumbled as he crouched down on the ground. The blond closed his eyes to cradle his head in his hands.

"_I'm still here, if that makes you feel any better."_

Cracking an eye open, Roxas called out tentatively, "Ven?"

"_Yup."_ Said the voice cheerfully and Roxas smiled in relief.

"What happened to me?" He asked.

Silence permeated the air for a few minutes. When Ven spoke again it was softer, more uncertain than before.

"_Do you remember the lady in the room with us?"_ Roxas nodded his head. Suddenly he wondered how Ven was able to see everything that went on, but before he could ask Ven continued.

"_She hit you with some weird magic. It wasn't like anything the Keyblade does; you just dropped to the ground and couldn't move. I was really scared...I couldn't try to help you. I'm sorry, Roxas."_

"It wasn't your fault." He told the other calmly. "It's not like you could have stopped it anyway. No matter what, we're still in this together."

It was like looking into a mirror. As if stepping out of the air, a boy identical to himself appeared in front of him. He was translucent, shimmering around the edges, but the smile on his face was as vivid as the sun.

"_Someone very important to me said something like that once.__"_ The boy said and his voice sounded equally as faint and fragile as his translucent body, _"__They told me that no matter where we go, n__o matter where we are, we'll always be together."_ Gently, he laid the palm of his hand against Roxas's chest. _"Because our hearts are connected."_

A steady, _thump, thump, thump_ thrummed in his chest. Roxas was mesmerized. Raising trembling fingers, he placed them over Ventus', relishing in the strangely silky touch of the other boys skin. Something was stirring deep inside the recesses of his being. A conversation with Axel came to memory.

"_Roxas? Are you really sure that you don't have a heart?"_

"_I don't know. I can't just look inside. But I figure if there is something in there, inside us, then we'd feel it, wouldn't we?"_

Was this it? Was this what he was supposed to feel? This steady and strong beat and these completely whole, completely _real_ feelings singing inside of him? It was amazing, and beautiful, and terrifying all at once. It was overwhelming. It was a miracle. Even when he looked up and his eyes connected with Ven's he couldn't stop the absolute power and _joy_ of the realization that it was true. It was really, really true.

"I have a heart." He said, still with disbelief. Laughter bubbled up from within, so new, yet so familiar, as if he had done it a hundred times before but was never able to do it properly. Something trickled from his eyes. Wiping the tears away, he stared at the water and then back at Ven. More tears fell as he smiled even wider. "I really have a heart!"

He wanted the moment to last forever. But as fate would have it, one simple meow broke the spell that held them together. Roxas snapped his eyes away from Ven and looked down towards the end of the hall where an old cat stared at him with glowing yellow eyes.

"Meow." It mewled again.

Roxas looked back to Ven, but the other boy had vanished, almost making Roxas wonder if he had really been there at all. The thrumming in his chest stopped, making him want to cry out. But there would have been no conviction behind the action. As swiftly as it had appeared, had his heart gone.

Footsteps hurried down the hall and an angry looking man appeared rounding the corner, out of breath and holding a lantern. The cat rubbed against his legs affectionately. "Who's out here?" He growled as he got his breath back.

Roxas stood up, only to remember rather belatedly that he was naked from the waist up. While his black pants would blend into the darkness, his pale exposed torso was caught in the moonlight.

When the man caught sight of him, his eyes seemed to grow out of his head. "Student- half naked- roaming halls-" The spluttering nonsense just went on and on. When the man finally seemed to have calmed himself enough to speak, his eyes were filled with a sadistic glee. "Oh, are you in trouble." He grinned evilly.

Roxas just stood rooted to the spot, not sure what to do. The man crossed the hall with quick steps and came to stand next to Roxas, gripping his shoulder tightly. "Who's your head of house, boy?" He asked and forced Roxas to walk forward. They walked down the hall, away from the direction of the Hospital Wing, and turned the corner. Roxas looked up at the man blankly.

"What's a head of house?" He asked.

The man made another spluttering noise before shooting a nasty look at the blond. "Playing smart? Oh that won't help you. I should take you down to Umbridge, have her deal with you if that's how it's going to be. Oh, that woman, she respects the old ways. All corporal punishment."

Roxas really didn't know what to say, but the hand on his shoulder was becoming uncomfortable.

"Let go." He said, wrenching himself free and stopping in the hall. The man stared at him, momentarily stunned by his actions, as if shocked that the blond really dared to defy such a man as he.

"That's it." He croaked, voice rising with his anger. "I've had it with these students!" He made a grab for Roxas again, but the blond stepped back out of reach. A wildfire burned in the man's eyes. "Wait here. I'm going to call Umbridge and then you'll be in for it!" He snarled. "Even if you run, we'll find you and then you-"

"Ah, Roxas. There you are."

Almost like a wind-up toy, the man spun around and came face to face with the old man from before. Roxas stood stock still.

"Professor Dumbledore! This student is breaking at least eight school rules right now and I demand retribution!" The man started up, but the old man, Dumbledore, moved past him to come to Roxas's side. The blond just stared at him. He was starting to think his brain might have run off with his heart.

"Ah, my apologies Argus. You see, I had asked Roxas here to meet with me when he was feeling better, but I believe our times may have been a little mixed up." Dumbledore lied lightly. He smiled at Argus, who was giving Roxas such a nasty glare that it made the blond take a small step back. After a long moment of looking like he wanted to argue, the man stormed off, rounding the corridor and leaving a trail of dark mutterings and grumblings behind. The strange little cat watched them for a moment or two before following after and just like that Roxas and Dumbledore became the only two left in the hall.

When it became apparent that the other wasn't going to say anything, Roxas decided to be the one to break the silence. "Thank you for helping me." He said.

Dumbledore smiled down at him. "Think nothing of it. Shall we head to my office? I've just received a package of Indian teas that I've been itching to open."

Roxas smiled at the man. It wasn't the true smile like before, but for the state he was in, Roxas felt it was pretty close. "Yeah, let's go."

x.x.x

Dumbledore's office wasn't what Roxas had been expecting, if he had really been expecting anything at all. Used to the stark white of the Castle, the amount of color nearly overwhelmed him when he first stepped inside.

"Wow." He breathed out. Objects all over the room whirred around on their shelves and hummed. There were portraits lining the wall behind the desk, all of them of snoring men and women, but if he looked closely, Roxas thought he saw them open their eyes, only to quickly close them shut when they found him looking. It was like the room had been crafted in Wonderland and brought all the way to this world. He half expected to see a card soldier pop out from behind a shelf.

Dumbledore was already seated behind the large wooden desk and he gestured towards one of the armchairs for Roxas. With a flick of a stick, a teapot appeared in front of them along with two porcelain cups. Roxas watched as the teapot filled the cups and his own floated towards him. Tendrils of steam rose up from inside, filling his nose with an exotic, almost spicy scent. Taking a sip, he wrinkled his nose and placed the cup down on the floor. It was a long way off from the flavor of Sea Salt Ice-cream.

"Roxas, I feel that before I can truly enjoy my tea that I must offer you an apology for the incident that occurred in the Hospital Wing earlier in the morning. I would like you to know that I, nor any other of my staff here at Hogwarts, wish you any harm." Dumbledore looked at him seriously but his eyes were sincere. Roxas nodded his head.

"So this world is called Hogwarts?" The blond asked, not able to stop himself from looking around at the wonders all around him.

"Well, I wouldn't quite call it the world, but yes this school is called Hogwarts." Dumbledore replied. He sipped his tea quietly for some time as Roxas's eyes roved over the room. "In case you were wondering, your cloak is hanging on the rack near the door. I'm afraid it was in quite the sorry state when you arrived here." At the look on Roxas's face he was quick to add, "Rest assured, we patched it up. It's good as new."

"Thank you." Roxas breathed out in relief. With his cloak, he'd be able to return back to the castle and hopefully do some damage control over his situation before things became any more out of hand. He stood from the chair, careful not to knock the tea over. "I should probably get going, if you don't mind. I've been here way longer than I should have been."

"Of course, I'm sure you're family is quite worried." Dumbledore said. Roxas didn't respond.

His cloak felt warm in his hands. Though it did indeed look as if it had taken a beating, the seams and stitches made in reparation looked flawless, following along the patterns and folds of the original outline. Good as new indeed.

"Roxas, before you go there is one more thing I must ask you."

Turning around, the blond waited for the man's question.

"_Here comes the catch."_ Ven muttered. Roxas held away his urge to talk to the other boy. He had his own set of questions needing to be answered, but not with another person in attendance.

"What is it?" He asked.

Dumbledore was quiet for a moment and then spoke, "I must ask; Roxas, do you come from another World?"

x.x.x

_Yen Sid-_

_How have you been old friend? It has been quite some time since we last spoke. I must say, the past ten years really have flown by, haven't they? I hope they have been good to you. I myself have had the prestigious honor of being placed on a Famous Witches and Wizards card, a sort of novelty in my world._

_I confess that I write this letter not merely for a chat, but to seek out answers to a growing mystery that I have a feeling concerns both of our worlds. I believe a get together is long over-due, if you'd be so inclined to meet with me. I hope to receive your owl soon. I'm curious to know if that duck ever figured out his recipe for that ice cream._

_Sincerest Regards,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

Dumbledore set down the quill, waiting for the parchment to dry. Fawkes rested peacefully on his perch. The trip to the Mysterious Tower would be a long one and he hoped his faithful bird would be alright during the trip. Roxas was gone for the night, but he suspected he'd be seeing him soon enough. Absently picking at the bowl of lemon drops on his desk, Dumbledore sat back, feeling a heady sense of dread at the change in the course of events. There was only so much he could do at the moment to protect Harry and with the information from Roxas, a few of his hunches had been confirmed. Yes, things were slowly becoming more and more complicated. Signalling for Fawkes, the Headmaster tied the letter to the phoenix's leg, stroking his feathers consolingly as he instructed him on where to go.

"If you are feeling too tired to return right away, I'm sure Yen Sid would not mind letting you stay for a few days. Be safe Fawkes and come back well." Dumbledore said. The bird chirped in a sing-song voice, nuzzling his head into Dumbledore's cheek. In an eruption of flame of magic, the bird was gone, nothing left save for the scorch marks against the wood of the desk. The only thing to do now was wait.


End file.
